DECEMBER 26, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our Nathan. He is now ten years old and in the "double digits". Almost a teenager (gasp!).
Christmas was wonderful. We had some family over for Christmas Eve. One of my brothers and I surprised my Mom with a Kindle. She was surprised and excited.
Nathan kept saying thank you over and over. He told us that it was the best Christmas and birthday EVER. So, you see, children don't need a lot of presents to make them happy.
Nathan wanted to do Japanese for his birthday dinner, so we went to a local restaurant here in town. When we started to head out the door from home, Samuel started complaining about his stomach hurting. I was somewhat concerned, but wasn't sure if he was getting sick with the virus that's going around or not because he normally has stomach problems that can mimic a virus and he wasn't running a fever. I really got concerned when he started dozing off, which is SO not typical of my youngest son who is a very active child. Needless to say, when I noticed that not even the "show" that the Japanese cook puts on while preparing the food didn't faze him, I took him out to our van. He promptly got sick, everywhere. I am seriously thankful to the Lord that I got him out of the restaurant before it hit poor Samuel. On the upside, he felt much better and wanted to go back in and eat. But by the time my mom and I got him and my van cleaned up (thanks, Mom!!), everyone in our group was coming out. My husband made sure that he got our plates "to go" (after he picked out some of my steak and shrimp!), which made Samuel happy.
But, all's well that ends well. Samuel is much better today.
All in all, it was a great weekend. I enjoyed my family time to the max. I'm looking forward to this next coming up weekend, which is another three-day weekend for me! Whoo-Hoo!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!



What a busy, busy month December has been! Between sickness, school and church, it's been a whirlwind.
The boys are now out of school for Christmas break. The school Christmas program was awsome. It only included K-4 through third grade, so Nathan got to sit with us in the audience this year since he's a "grown" fourth grader. :-)! Although I thoroughly enjoyed all of the songs, my favorite one was "Isaiah 9:6". Their music teacher put the verse to song. It was wonderful. I couldn't get enough of seeing all of those children singing their hearts out!
Then it was time for our church play, which was this past Sunday night. A lady in our church wrote it. It followed Jesus from the time that He was in a manger through the point where He called His first two disciples. She entitled the play "Where He leads I Will Follow".
This Mom couldn't have been more proud as Nathan sang a solo, "Silent Night" and also portrayed Jesus when He was twelve years old in the temple. Samuel sang with the "angel choir". OK, I have to tell a little something about Samuel. As you know, things often happen when children are involved in a play. Well, Samuel was supposed to sing the last verse of "We Three Kings" by himself. When his turn came, the two little girls next to him started to sing the verse as well. He stopped singing and frowned at them. Now, mind you, I am leading this little angelic group in their songs (how I got to be the leader, I really don't know, since I seriously CAN NOT sing!). I sternly looked at him and whispered for him to keep singing. He turned to them, puts his finger to his lips, shushing them. I whisper, a little louder, for him to KEEP SINGING (picture, if you can, this very loud whispering while trying to keep the other children on time with the music). He turns back to his page and sings, but the expression on his face was not very "angel-like".  It was definitely not humorous to me, as a mom, at the time, and I have had a talk with my child. But now as I look back at it, I chuckle, JUST a little.
Well, now we are preparing for our Lord and Saviour's birthday. Then Nathan's birthday is the day after. I can not believe it, but he will be ten years old!
My husband and I finished our Christmas shopping Monday. As we started having children, we really wanted to keep the focus of Christmas where it should be-on the birth of Christ. So we decided that we would only buy three presents for each. This reminds them of the three presents that Jesus received. We also encourage them to clean out their toys each year and give them to children who are in need.
We had a chance to visit a local Mennonite church Tuesday night for their school Christmas program. They do not use instruments in their worship when they sing, so I was wondering how it would sound. It was BEAUTIFUL. The harmonizing was awsome. The program was God-centered and lifted up our Lord and Saviour. The church members were so very friendly and welcoming. You were not a stranger there. We have definitely made some new friends!
Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas. Christmas is on a Sunday this year. Don't forget to to to church and celebrate the real reason for the season-Jesus Christ!
MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS!
The Boyds :-)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM THE BOYD HOUSEHOLD

We would like to tell all of our readers "Happy Thanksgiving"! Don't forget to thank the Lord for all of the blessings that He has given you.
Have a blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

ROASTING MARSHMALLOWS

You know, when the weather cools off, there's nothing like building a fire in your backyard (or using the grill) and roasting marshmallows! Yum, yum!

Our cats joined in on the fun.



Have a wonderful and blessed day!

The Boyds :-)

HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY! 11/11/11



My family and I would like to take the time to say THANK YOU! to all of our veterans, past and present, for all of the sacrifices that they made and make so that we may have the freedoms that we enjoy here in America. God bless all of you!
The Boyds :-)

OH, NO! SLINGSHOTS!

My mother and father-in-law went on their annual trip to Mount Airy, NC a couple of weeks ago. If you remember the last time they went, they brought my two boys back some chocolate rocks:

Very cute, very tasty, very SAFE. Hmmmmm.........

Well, this time, they brought back these:



Yes, slingshots!

Very cute, very "boy", but, safe? Now, I have to tell you, I really do think that these are kind of cool. I mean, come on! How many kids have slingshots that look like these? But the rules were laid down VERY quickly for Nathan and Samuel. They are absolutely NOT to go out and use these without adult supervision and they are definitely not allowed to aim them at any animal or person. Pssst! Guess what? I even shot them a couple of times. It was pretty fun! You might want to try it sometime. :-)

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

The Boyds :-)

NATHAN'S FIRST BUCK!

Well, Nathan was one excited boy Saturday! He shot his first buck. It was what we call a "cow horn", which is a deer whose antlers are just spikes. One shot brought it down on the spot. His daddy and I are proud of him. Samuel's reaction to the news was, "Oh, boy! More meat for the freezer!"
We have found many ways to cook deer meat. My husband likes to make jerky, hamburger and cube steak. He really IS a very good cook and I am SO very blessed! :-)!



Have a wonderful and blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

CHOCOLATE CHERRY MICE

This past Sunday was our annual Homecoming at our church. I tried something new in the dessert line. It's called "Chocolate cherry mice". They were the CUTEST things.
At first, I had my doubts about how they would turn out, but when I put the first mouse together, he was, well, cute! I went around to everyone in the house showing them my mouse. I was pretty excited about it.
Samuel was my helper. He helped to unwrap all of the Hershey's Kisses (a few missed the plate and made it to his mouth!). Then he got bored and ran off to play.
I have to tell you, they were very easy and fun to make. The children at church loved them. They even had the adults playing with their food!
I will post the recipe later. But if you want it now, just Google "chocolate cherry mice". There are a lot of websites out there with the recipe, and all are basically the same.
If you make them, let me know how they turned out. Pictures would be great! :-)!

 All arranged on my favorite glass plate.

They were excited about going to church, until they found out why.

This is "Mr. Angry Eyes". I made him for my brother.

Have a wonderful and blessed day!

The Boyds :-)

BIRTHDAYS, COMPUTERS AND BRAKES

Well, Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I have posted. Things have been a little crazy (Hurray for family life! :-)!)
Samuel had a birthday on September 22. He turned six years old. Happy birthday to my youngest son! We love him so much. He was our "surprise" baby, but he was the best "surprise" that God could ever give me!
My main computer died when the current came back on after Hurricane Irene, probably due to the surge from being off so long. Yes, I had a surge protector on it (that was my brother's first question). The problem is that it was a cheaper surge protector. Guess you get what you pay for in some things. :-( ! So, anyway, I had gone back to using my laptop, which was super slow. I have not really been able to do much computer wise. I praise the Lord, though, because my youngest brother is now looking at my main computer (I have been blessed with "computer smart" brothers!). Hopefully I will have it back up and running very soon. He also has helped me clean up my laptop, so that is running alot better now.
Well, Friday night, my brake light came on in our van. When the brake fluid was checked, it was low. So, my husband put more fluid in. When I got back in the van Sunday morning, the brake light was still on. "Oh, no!", I thought. I left the van with my husband today, and drove our trusty back up car, the 1996 Thunderbird. Whoo-Hoo! First of all, I have to say that I am VERY thankful that we still have this car. It is very old and full of miles, but it still gets us where we need to go in a pinch. But... If anyone knows what its like to go from a mini-van to a two door car when you have children, you know where I am coming from when I say, "Whoo-Hoo!".
I got a call from my husband a little bit ago, and he told me that it is the master cylinder. Then, he just calls me a few minutes ago and tells me that there is antifreeze in the carport where the van sits. So, there is something else for the mechanic to look at. But, God is good! Perhaps there are a few problems that need to be taken care of right now while the van is in the garage. We'll see!
Please keep us in your prayers as we have revival at church this week, as well!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

CLEAN UP AFTER HURRICANE IRENE

These are pics of the boys as they helped to clean up their Granny's yard after Hurricane Irene.
I found it disturbing as I heard different stories about young people (in their 20's and 30's) who wouldn't help their parents or grandparents during this time, because the work was "too hard", yet these young people know who to go to when THEY need something. It is VERY sad. I hope that my husband and I instill something far better in our boys. I pray that they learn not only to help family, but also those around them.
Please keep our area in your prayers as there were many who lost their homes due to flooding.
Have a wonderful and blessed day!

The Boyds :-)

SURVIVING HURRICANE IRENE

Nathan and Samuel experienced their first hurricane that they can remember (the last hurricane was just before Samuel was born, and Nathan was 3 years old).
While we were in Wal-Mart buying last minute supplies, Nathan, my list-man, just had to grab a "Hurricane Preparation Guide". He told me everything that we needed to get. When I got to the banana section, there were absolutely none to be found. This upset me, as I like to have them on my cereal. My "Hurricane Guide" told me that was one of the items on the list for people to buy.
Hurricane Irene made landfall on Friday and didn't leave us until sometime very late Saturday night, leaving Eastern North Carolina without electricity or phones. Our electricity went out around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday morning, but was restored at 3:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon. We consider ourselves VERY blessed as most everyone else is still without power.
During the storm the boys, of course, got very "antsy" as they had to stay inside all day. They kept asking to go outside. We kept emphasizing to them the dangers of a hurricane (Irene was a Category 1). We finally went out under our carport for a few minutes late that afternoon when the winds had started dying down a little. I think that helped.
When we were out after the storm picking up the shingles that had blown off of our garage, I found some that were actually buried in the ground 4-5 inches deep. I showed the boys, and told them that that was because the winds were so strong. If they had been outside in the wind like they had wanted to, they could have been seriously hurt, just from a shingle. Maybe I got my point across! :-)!
We also rode around our neighborhood, and saw how extensive the damage really was.
 Please keep us all in your prayers as we try to recover from Hurricane Irene!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

SCHOOL AGAIN!

Wow! Is it that time already? Yes, it is! We had our orientation at school last night. The boys start back this Friday.
Where has the summer gone? It seems like summer vacation takes so long to get here, then it's over in a flash.
Nathan and Samuel were excited to meet their teachers and see their friends that they haven't seen for a couple of months. Samuel's first grade teacher is the same one that Nathan had, and Nathan has the same teacher he had last year. I think very highly of both ladies.
I know that I have said this before, but I am very thankful that the Lord has provided a Christian School in our area that is willing to take a stand for Christ and not compromise or conform to the world.
I am looking forward to a great school year!
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

DUCK DUCK GOOSE

Well! We have an unexpected new member of our animal family.
A couple of weeks ago, when we were having alot of rain storms, a duck showed up in our front yard.
Now, whenever it rains really hard, our yard literally becomes a pond. Well, not EXACTLY a pond, but pretty close to it! :-) But it has gotten deep enough that when the boys go out to play in the puddles, the water goes up almost to the tops of their boots in some places.
Anyway, we just happened to look out after one of those rainstorms, and saw this not-so-pretty (I was going to say ugly, but that's kind of harsh, don't you think?) duck walking around the yard.
The boys got excited. We took pictures. We went out and tried to walk up to her, but she only waddled just out of our reach, which told us she was someone's domestic duck. And I was pretty sure (and hoping) that she wouldn't stay. Uh-huh! A couple of weeks and a messed up playset and driveway later (ducks, if one doesn't know, leave very large messes), she is still here. And it doesn't look like she's going anywhere anytime soon. She has made friends with our cats and dog. They all hang out in Butcher's (our dog) area. My husband told us not to feed her and she'll go away. Hmmm. That didn't work. I don't know what she is eating, but she drinks out of our dog's water bowl.
We researched the internet to find out what kind of duck she is, and the closest we can come to is a Scobie duck.
So, I guess for now, Duck Duck Goose is a member of the Boyd menagerie!

Have a wonderful and blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

TENT

My husband found his tent that he used when he was younger. Now Nathan and Samuel are enjoying it!

Have a blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Happy Father's Day to our daddy! We love him very much!

Love,
Nathan and Samuel :-)

WHEAT FIELDS



Good morning, everyone! It looks like it's going to be another hot day.
While on our family walk the other day, we walked to some fields where the farmers were growing wheat. They had just been gleaned a couple of days ago. It was such a "teachable moment"! I always try to grab these moments when I can.
As we picked up some wheat that was left, we talked about Ruth, and what it was like to reap wheat back in Biblical times. Nathan even remembered the Mosaic law in Leviticus 23:22, which stated that they were to leave the corners and the gleaning "unto the poor, and to the stranger".
We let the boys try some of the wheat kernels. They even brought some home so that we could try to "thresh" it like people did back then. It was a pretty neat lesson.
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
The Boyds :-)

WASHING, WASHING, WASHING

Washing, washing, washing! As we are getting ready for our vacation, I am trying VERY hard to keep up with, and on top of, the laundry. Sometimes that's hard to do, especially when you have two very active boys, it's summer, and dirt calls their name! No complaints from me, though.
The bedding also proves to be challenging, especially since my youngest still sometimes has night time accidents (please don't tell him I told you!). Like, for instance, this morning at 4:30 a.m., I was washing his sheets and stuffed friends. The drier is running right now as we speak, and I am really hoping that his favorite cat will survive! :-)
On that note, one little trick that I have learned is that if you have to wash and dry stuffed animals (and that time does come!), put them in a pillow case and tie it off. That way, if it does happen to explode whilst it is in the cleaning process, the mess will be contained and not all over your washer or drier. Believe me, that is a mess you DON'T want.
I also found that vinegar is wonderful in the washer when it comes to fighting odors on bedding and clothing. It is also good when washing new material for the first time as it helps it hold it's new colors longer. I learned this trick from a lady that I had bought sewing material from.
Well, time to get everyone up for the day.
Have a wonderful and blessed day. Pray for us as we travel. We'll see you when we get back!
The Boyds :-)

MEMORIAL DAY

First, I would like to remember all that have fought and died that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have today.

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What a great and relaxing Memorial Day my family had today.

We went fishing at a friend's pond. The boys had such a good time and caught quite a few fish.

Of course, we threw all back except for two catfish, which made a very yummy lunch.

The pond

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful and blessed day.

The Boyds :-)

CHOCOLATE ROCKS

My mother and father-in-law love to got to a town called Mount Airy, NC, which is the town where Andy Griffith grew up. They brought these chocolate rocks home for each of my boys. These are my kind of rocks!
The label says, "Ernest T's Chocolate Rocks. For Eatin'.....Not Throwin'!"

 

KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION PICTURES

Pledges (American & Christian flag and the Bible)

Farmer Samuel and his "Vowel Farm"

Each mother was given a beautiful flower

We have graduated!! Only 12 more years to go! :-)

Showing how they learned to tell time.

Demonstrating the math and counting skills that they learned

Have a wonderful and blessed day!
The Boyds :)